Noticeboard

Dear Patients,

We are now offering extra alternative appointments under the GP Alliance on Monday - Friday afternoons and evenings and Saturday and Sunday all day. The appointments are based at three different GP surgeries (Beckenham, Orpington and Bromley) where a GP can see you with your usual records. Please speak to reception for details.

Please look out for information by the practice regarding sharing electronic information between Hospitals, GP's and Community Care via the Local Care Record.

Please note it is a NHS requirement that all patients are allocated a named GP who is responsible for the patients overall care at the practice. Please contact the practice should you wish to know who your named GP is. If you have a preference to who your named GP is then the practice will make reasonable efforts to accommodate this request however please may we re-iterate you can still see whichever GP you wish and not only your named GP. If you have any questions then please ask at the reception desk or call the surgery.

Many thanks

Did you know we have a formal PPG Group called The Links Patient Participation Group? Our PPG Chair for The Links Patient Participation Group is Roger Ballaster. Ask for more details if you are interested in joining.

We are now up and running with a Text Messaging Service.We have the facility to use the above service to contact you by sending SMS Text Messages to your mobile phone.

To ensure this service is used to its full advantage, can we please ask you to check your mobile number is correct on our records, this can be done via the reception desk or telephoning us on 0208 461 3333 if you are a Downham patient or 0208 857 0011 if you are a Mottingham patient.

However if you would not like to be part of this service and have not already responded to the text we sent out “Dear Patient, The Links Medical Practice is introducing a FREE patient messaging service. To opt out, text STOP to 07800008113” then please let reception know so we can ensure you do not receive any text messages.

As of Monday 1st December 2014, we added the 'Friends and Family Test' survey to our website. There are 3 simple questions for you to answer. This survey will provide a quick snapshot of what our patients think, and how we can improve our patient care and practice services.

The survey is located under the heading 'Have Your Say', on the right hand side of the website home page.

We look forward, to receiving your views.

111 nhs service.

The new national telephone advice service '111' has come to Bromley.This service has replaced NHS Direct and is the contact number for patients at certain times of the day when the surgery is closed.Please telephone the surgery and listen to the surgery answer phone message for details.

Thank you.

APPOINTMENT OPTIONS

We have Saturday morning appointments once a month and evening appointments every other week on a Monday at Mottingham and Wednesday at Downham which are bookable in advance .

You may also book a telephone appointment if you wish to discuss an ongoing medical problem.Please try and book with your usual Dr when requiring treatment for an ongoing problem. Telephone appointments are not suitable for new diagnosis and complex problems.

We have a 'medical pod' in the waiting area at each surgery. This is for use by patients who are not already on treatment for blood pressure. Please ask reception for a free token and you may use the machine to record your weight, height and blood pressure. The machine speaks instructions but it DOES NOT speak out your weight. At completion the machine will print two tickets with the weight height and blood pressure readings. Please put your name on the slip, tick whether you are a smoker or not and hand one of the copies in to reception.We can use this information to update your records. Please note that if the blood pressure reading falls outside a set range the receptionist may ask you to have your blood pressure checked again by a health care assistant.

Code of Practice : Information for Health

Please read this section explaining how we use medical information to help everyone.

What do we record?

Information about you, your medical treatment, and family background may be recorded, either on paper or in computer files, as part of providing you with health services. This information is vital to the proper operation of the NHS, and is needed to give you and others the best possible healthcare.

What you can do?

Please read the rest of this notice in order to better understand how we use medical information about you. For further details please see information leaflet entitled “Your Information” displayed in the Practice or ask receptionist for details.

Other Agencies

The NHS is not the only government service to provide you with care, and it will be necessary for us to provide other agencies with appropriate information, but only with your consent (or that of your relatives if you are too ill).

How do we protect your information?

The sensitivity of patient information is well understood within the NHS. All staff and contractors are trained to respect their duty of confidentiality to you. We keep paper and electronic records securely to prevent unauthorised access or misuse. Wherever practicable, we also remove references to personal details such as your name and address, and often restrict it further to reduce the chances of anyone identifying a record as relating to you.

Other questions?

You can have a say in how the NHS uses information about you. If you want to find out more or have any concerns you can phone NHS Direct on 0845 4647 and request a booklet giving more details; go online at www.nhs.uk\confidentiality; or you can contact the Patient Liaison Team at the following address: Bromley PCT, Bassetts House, Broadwater Gardens, Orpington, Kent BR6 7UA. Tel. No. 01689 853339

Freedom of Information

The ICO has published a new Model Publication Scheme that all public authorities are required to adopt by 1st January 2009.

Comments & Suggestions and Complaints.

We make every effort to give the best service possible to everyone who attends our practice.

In the majority of cases the best way to resolve your concerns as quickly as possible is with the front line staff or the service or organisation that you are complaining about.

However, we are aware that things can go wrong resulting in a patient feeling that they have a genuine cause for complaint. If this is so, we would wish for the matter to be settled as quickly, and as amicably, as possible.

Simply contact the Practice Manager preferably in writing or by completing a complaints form available in surgery, and she/he will set all the necessary wheels in motion. Further written information is available on the complaints procedure from reception.

We are continually striving to improve our service. Any helpful suggestions would be much appreciated and a suggestion box is located in the waiting area.

If your problem cannot be resolved locally, or if you have a complaint about the commissioning of services please contact BCC.

Once an organisation believes that it has done its utmost to address your concerns it will be explained that local resolution is complet and you will be directed to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman who will consider whether to look into your case.

How we use your information:

1.) To Provide You with Treatment

Doctors need to make notes about any diagnosis, test results, treatments including drugs prescriptions, and other information that you may provide, that seems relevant to the treatment of your condition. We need to keep this information in order to provide proper care for you (for later treatment, or if you should be seen by another doctor) and to allow others to check the treatment that you have received.

Nurses and other health professionals also need access to these records, and will add their own notes, as part of the overall healthcare provision. Secretaries, receptionists, and other clerical staff need access to some of your records in order to do administrative tasks, such as: booking appointments and communicating with you and other parts of the NHS.

Your doctor may also need to provide information under certain Acts of Parliament (e.g. the Communicable Diseases Act 1978, which is necessary to prevent the outbreak of certain highly contagious diseases) to protect you and others.

2.) The Health Service

In order to manage the NHS, some restricted information concerning treatments, drugs prescribed, numbers of patients seen etc. is needed, and hospitals and general practices must provide this information in returns to various central bodies. This information has personal details such as your name and address removed wherever possible. It is necessary from time to time to check these returns to prevent fraud as part of the NHS’s statutory obligations. This may result in your being contacted by an NHS Fraud Office to see if you will consent to your records being checked. Only if you provide your consent will the auditors be allowed to access your records.

3.) Teaching Clinicians

Some medical files are needed to teach student clinicians. Without such materials, new doctors and nurses would be not be properly prepared to treat you.

4.) Planning

We need to be able to plan ahead about treatments, patient numbers, etc., but this uses summary information, not personal information.

5.) Medical Research

Some medical research will require your direct involvement (especially if taking part in clinical trials) in which case the circumstances will be fully explained to you, and your express consent required. If you do not consent, then you will not be included in the trial.

Other researchers only require access to medical statistics, and can greatly improve our understanding of health, and how to treat patients more effectively. Generally, researchers only need information about groups of people, so that no individual information is apparent. In some cases, they need individual records, but wherever we can we will provide these in an anonymous form (so individuals cannot be identified). Sometimes, researchers need access to individual medical files. We will contact you first for your consent (and before this the researchers must present their case before an Ethics Committee to check that their research is appropriate and worthwhile). Rarely, it may not be practicable (or even possible) to contact individuals for their consent, in which case the researchers must make their case before a Confidentiality Committee to show that there is enough benefit to the public at large to justify this.

How do we manage your information?

We need to be able to move electronic information from system to system, extracting the data and modifying it for the next system. Occasionally, tests will need to be made on the data to check that it has been transferred correctly. This will only be done under carefully controlled conditions and all employees and contractors will be under strict contractual obligations to protect your confidentiality.

Access

We have recently been assessed by DisabledGo. Please see details below of the DisabledGo website.

Our premises have easy access, wide corridors, no steps and a toilet for the disabled.

If you have any difficulty in using our facility do please ask a member ofstaff who will be pleased to assist you.

Guide Dogs are welcome-Bowl of water available on request.

If you require any leaflets in braille we will do our best to

provide them for you. If we cannot provide such leaflets

we will be very happy to explain and research

information that you require just ask at reception please

and staff will either help directly or pass your request on

to the Practice Manager.

The H.E.L.P. CARD- Literacy issues.

If you have problems with literact then you may wish to obtain a discreet visual aid help card. You can presne tthis credit card sized HELP card at recption and staff will be able to help you in a discreet manner.

The card reads 'Please Note I will need help with reading, writing and form filling. Thank you for your discretion ' If you need a card visit www.bromley.gov.uk/helpproject.